Device for hanging or gripping garments



Dec. 30, 1952 G- SALAMAN 2,623,667

DEVICE FOR HANGINGv OR GRIPPING GARMENTS Filed Nov. 29, 1950 I've-"r ve- Has 7:

Patented Dec. 30, 1952 UNITED DEVICE FOR; HANGING OR GRIPPING GARMENTS George Salaman, Brighton, England Application November 29, 1950, Serial No. 198,082 In Great Britain December 8, 1949 5. Claims. 1

This invention relates to devices for hanging or gripping garments, and is concerned more particularly with devices which may be used either for hanging garments. or gripping them to preserve. their shape, or for performing both of these functions at the same time.

According to the invention there is provided a device for hanging or gripping garments comprising a tubular bar having end members adapted to act as extensions of the bar, said end members being slidable telescopically over the bar and there being spring means disposed within the bar and extending within each end member, the arrangement being such that the end members may be retracted against the force of said spring means to permit the device to be placed inside a garment and the end members, when released, automatically being extended by the spring means togrip the garment.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how it may be carried into effect, the same will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the application of the invention to a skirt hanger and gripper,

Figure 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale, of part of the device shown in Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is an underside plan view according to Figure 2.

The device comprises a main central bar I of tubular construction and preferablysubstantially square in section, and two spring pressed end members 2" adapted to form extensions of the main bar I. The extensions are formed of sheet metal and slidable on the respective end portions of the main bar, the extensions 2 being identical in all respects.

Each extension is a hollow member having a tubular portion 3 at the inner end i. e., the end nearest the centre of the main bar, the outer end portion of the extension being in the form of a pocket open along its lower edge. The end portion 3 of each extension is similar in crosssection to that of the main bar I and such as to provide a smooth sliding telescopic fit on the main bar. In this manner the extensions can telescope over the ends of the bar. At the outer extremity, each extension is formed with a surface 4 which is inclined and shaped so as to provide a good grip on the waist band of the skirt. As shown in Figure 2, the surface 4 is sloped outwardly from the upper face of the extension, so as to provide a sloping shoulder which tends to keep the garment in shape and prevent its falling off the device, The surface. 4 may, if desired, be so formed that it is greater in width than the width of the tubular portion 3 of the extension. Each extension is formed with a finger lug 5, the later preferably being formed by the bending over of an integral projecting part of the tubular portion 3,, the free end of the lug, being secured, as by a rivet 6, to a tab 1 set up from the upper face of the tubular portion 3. Each extension and its finger lug may thus be formed by the cutting and pressing of a single blank of sheet metal, the overlapping end portions forming the surface 4 and being secured, as by a rivet 8. The sides of the pocket of each extension are held in proper spaced relation by means of a rivet or spacer 9.

A hook Iii, for suspending the device from a rail, is provided on the main bar, substantially midway between, the ends, of the bar. The extensions 2 are normally urged outwardly by spring means comprising, for instance, a pair of extension springs, H, the inner end of each spring ll abutting the hook [-0, whilst the opposite outerendof the spring abuts a, pin l2 mounted at the outer end of a rod 13 slidablewithin the spring ll.

Each of the pins l2 projects through a slot I 4: formed in the upper face of the extension and provided at its inner end with a bayonet like extension [5. The pins are normally pressed by the springs ll into engagement Wit-h the outer ends of the slots, to extend the device to. its maximum len th- Bv m vin he pins 12' into the, bayonet extension [5, the springs I! may be; compressed so as to urge the extensions outwardly with greater force than when the. pins I2 are positioned at the outer ends of the slots H5. The arrangement is such that the device may readily be adapted for use with skirts the sizes of which fall within two different ranges of waist measurements. In the device illustrated, the springs are so formed that when the pins I2 are in their outermost positions, the device is suitable for supporting skirts having waist measurements falling within the range of 24" to 26" while, when the pins l2 are brought into the bayonet extensions it, the device may be employed for supporting skirts, measurements coming within the range of 28 to 32". It will be understood that by modifying the shape of. each slot [4 to include more than one bayonet extension, the device may readilybe adjusted for supporting garments which come within more than two ranges of waist measurements.

Depending lugs t6 at the ends of the main her having Waist,

I, engageable with the outer ends of the lower faces of the tubular portions 3 of the extensions, act as stops to retain the extensions in their normal extended position upon the ends of the bar.

To facilitate packaging and transport of the garment hangers, the extensions may be compressed to such an extent that the ends of the main bar abut or almost abut the pins i2, and the extensions are held in this position by means of a clamping member having hook portions adapted to engage the upright portions of the finger lugs 5.

The finger lugs 5 are so formed that when the extensions 3 are in their extended position, the lugs can be spanned by the hand and the extensions drawn together.

In use, the clamping member is removed from the finger lugs 5, to permit the extensions to spring into their normal extended position. The pins l2 ar then positioned according to the waist measurement of the garment to be suspended from the device. The finger lugs may now be gripped to draw the extensions towards each other so as to compress the Springs and shorten the device to the length necessary for insertion in the waist band of a skirt. On releasing the finger lugs the skirt is securely held by the spring tension and may then be suspended from a rail by the hook IE3.

I claim:

1. A device for hanging or gripping garments comprising a tubular bar, hollow end members slidably mount-ed upon, and forming extensions of, said bar, stops at opposite ends of the bar engageable with said extensions to limit displacement thereof outwardly along said bar, spring means disposed within said bar and entering said extensions so as normally to urge said extensions into engagement with the respective stops, said extensions being retractable from said stops to permit the device to be placed within a garment, an adjustable abutment located within each extension and engaged by said spring means, each abutment being movable between inner and outer positions spaced apart alOng the associated extension, means for holding said abutments in their outer positions to permit the spring means to urge the extensions outwardly with a given pressure when the device is to be fitted into a garment coming within one size range, and means for moving said abutments from said outer positions to said inner positions, to increase the tension of said spring means so that the extensions are urged outwardly under a greater pressure when the device is to be fitted into a garment coming within a larger size range.

2. A device for hanging or gripping garments, comprising a tubular bar, hollow end members slidably mounted upon, and forming extensions of, said bar, stops at opposite ends of the bar engageable with said extensions to limit displacement thereof outwardly along said bar, spring means disposed within said bar and entering said extensions so as normally to urge said extensions into engagement with their stops, said extensions being retractable from said stops to permit the device to be placed within a garment, and means for adjusting the tension of said spring means, said adjusting means comprising a rod arranged at each of the outer ends of, said spring means, each rod being axially aligned with, and extending into said spring means, an abutment pin at the outer end of each rod, each abutment pin being engaged by the adjacent end of said spring means and being slidably engaged in a slot formed in the associated extension, the slot in each extension having a main part which extends generally longitudinally of the extension and a bayonet-like part which is disposed at the inner end of said main part, the outer extremity of said main part forming an outer limit position for the associated abutment pin and the bayonet-like part forming an inner limit position therefor, said abutment pins being movable from their outer limit positions into their inner limit positions to compress said spring means and increase the pressure under which the extensions are urged outwardly into engagement with their stops.

3. A device for hanging or gripping garments, comprising a tubular bar, end members slidably mounted upon said bar, said end-members each being constructed from a single blank of sheet material and formed with a tubular part slidable over said bar, and with a hollow pocket extending outwardly from said tubular part, said hollow pocket having depending end wall shaped to grip a garment, and having also side walls extending from said end wall to said tubular part, said side walls serving as supports for said end wall, and further comprising spring means disposed in said tubular bar and extending into the pockets of each of said end members, an abutment member disposed in the pocket of each end member, each pocket having a longitudinal slot for defining inner and outer positions of the associated abutment member, and each abutment member being engaged by the adjacent end of said spring means and held thereby in one of said positions, depending stop at the opposite ends of said hollow bar engageable with the tubular part of the associated end member to limit the outward movement of the latter, means for engaging said abutment members in the inner of their said positions, to increase the tension of said spring means and cause the end members to be urged outwardly into engagement with said stops under a greater pressure than that exerted by said spring means when said abutments are in the outer of their said positions, and means for retracting said end members from engagement with their stops to enable the device to be placed within a garment.

4. A device for hanging and gripping garments, comprising a, tubular bar, end members slidably mounted upon said bar, said end members each being formed with a tubular part slidable over said bar and with a hollow pocket extending outwardly from said tubular part, said hollow pocket having 9, depending end wall shaped to grip a garment, and having side walls extending from said end wall to the tubular part and serving to support the end wall, the upper edges of said side walls being connected by a top wall in which there is formed a slot extending generally longitudinally of the pocket, and further comprising stops at the opposite ends of said tubular bar, said stops engaging the tubular parts of the respective end members to limit the outward displacement of the latter, spring means disposed in said tubular bar and projecting into said hollow pockets and normally urging said members outwardly into engagement with said stops, an abutment extending through the slot in each end member and engaged by the adjacent end of said spring means, means for moving the abutments between at least two positions spaced along their respective slots to adjust and vary the pressure which the spring means exerts on said end members, and means for retracting the end members from engagement with their stops to permit the device to be placed within a garment. I

5. A device for hanging or gripping garments, comprising a, hollow supporting bar of rectangular section, end members slidalbly mounted upon said bar, said end members each being of hollow, box-like construction, and having a tubular part of rectangular section slidable over said bar, and a hollow pocket extending outwardly from said tubular part, said hollow pocket being formed with a depending end-wall shaped to grip a garment, side walls extending from said end wall to the tubular part and serving to support the end wall, the upper edges of said side walls being connected by a top wall in which there is formed a slot extending generally longitudinally of the pocket, and further comprising stops at the opposite ends of said tubular bar, said stops engaging the tubular parts to limit outward displacement of the end members, spring means disposed in said tubular bar and projecting into said hollow pockets and normally urging said members outwardly into engagement with said stops, an abutment extending through the slot in each end member and engaged by the adja cent end of said spring means, means for moving the abutments between at least two positions spaced along their respective slots to adjust and vary the pressure which the spring means exerts on said end members, and means for retracting the end members from engagement with their stops to permit the device to be placed within a garment.

GEORGE SALAMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,096,717 Hille Oct. 26, 1937 2,419,638 Graeber Apr. 29, 1947 2,423,961 Buxton July 15, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 13,009 Great Britain 1906 

